Chapter 370: More than 37,000 acres

Zeng Gang heard Li Gang bluntly say that he wanted to check the number of acres of his field and pay his talent, so he was willing to do so, and said: "This Li Governor, my Zeng family has paid talent to the county government every year, and there has never been a penny, if Li Governor has any doubts, please go to the county government to check the field books." The pen fun and pavilion www.biquge.info is in the autumn harvest at this time, and it is really difficult for the old man to cooperate with the Li Governor's office, and he hopes to forgive his sins. ”

Zeng Lane also knew in his heart that if it was really a businessman, the Tian Fu that had been leaked for so many years would be an astronomical amount if he didn't know geometry.

"This official does things, why do you need to teach, after checking your Zeng family's acres, this official should go to the county government to compare and calculate. If you collect your grain, the official himself will take someone to measure the field, and there is no conflict, and a word of notice to you at this time is to let you prepare early, and the money to make up the field tax is not enough, and the grain can also be deducted. Li Gang had a tough attitude, and his words were already extremely clear and clear.

Zeng Lang frowned when he heard this, thought about it, and said busily: "Governor Li is from Cangzhou, and he must have a tired journey, so please go into the house to rest for a while, and prepare some wine and food to relieve the fatigue of the officials." ”

While speaking, Zeng Rong had already bowed down and pleased.

Li Gangtou originally thought of having a meal at this Zeng family, but when he looked at Zeng Rong, he suddenly changed his mind, and only said: "You came to Zengtou City, and the Jingluo Mansion sent hundreds of soldiers, I'm afraid that your family can't entertain you, so the official won't bother much, only go to the village to set up camp outside the village, the army has its own fire, it's not early today, and I'll come back tomorrow to do an errand." Leave. After speaking, Li Gang got back on his horse and took people to the outside of Zhuangzi.

Zeng Rong looked at the back of Li Gang beating the horse, his face became more and more ugly, and he wanted to invite the young Li Governor to his home to serve for a while, and then stuff a sum of silver to settle the matter, but it was this young prefect who didn't get in the oil and salt, and the matter was not so simple.

"Father, what kind of yamen is this four-state Jinglufu Mansion, and how did you come from Cangzhou to Yunzhou?" Zeng Tu frowned and asked, knowing in his heart that things were not so simple. Zeng Lang's five second sons, Zeng Tu Boss, is one of the five tigers of the Zeng family.

Zeng Lang saw Li Gang walking away with a few hundred iron armors, and he also turned around and went into the house, and replied: "I will write a letter, you quickly send someone into the city to send it to the magistrate, and ask what is going on in this Sizhou Jingluo Mansion?" ”

At this time, Zeng Mi stepped forward and asked: "Dad, the people of these four states are actually bringing troops today, they must be trying to embarrass my Zeng family, this matter is also usual, which time to change the county prefect, our Zeng family has to spend a sum, these four states of the Jingluo Mansion is just this meaning, send a sum of money tonight." ”

Zeng Mi is the second son, and then there are Zeng Suo, Zeng Kui, and Zeng Sheng. There are also two teachers in Zengtou City, and the teacher is called Shi Wengong, who is the person who shot Chao Gai in the legend of the rivers and lakes, and his martial arts are extraordinary. There is also a person named Su Ding, an associate teacher, who is also the master of the five tigers, and it is not bad if he wants to come to martial arts.

Zeng Lang heard this, waved his hand, sighed and said: "I'm afraid this matter is not so simple, but this money still has to be sent tonight, Mi'er will go to get some silver taels and send it later, and listen to the tone of this Li Governor's Mansion." ”

Zeng Mi nodded with his hand, and scolded again: "The world is like this, dog officials are rampant, that is, we have worked hard to accumulate some family wealth, and these dog officials have to give a lot of money when they come to visit, which is really unpleasant." I can get my temper, and I can only be happy if I cut this dog official with a knife. ”

When Zeng Lane heard this, he shook his head again and again: "It's okay to talk nonsense at home, but you can't talk nonsense when you go out." ”

Zeng Mi understood this truth, but nodded and did not speak.

In a moment, in Zengtou City, a person rode a horse straight to the county seat, and there was a handwritten letter from Zeng Lane in his arms, which was to ask the county magistrate about the origin of the four-state Jingluo Mansion. From Zengtou City to Yuncheng County, a trip is only thirty or forty miles, but it is not far.

Yuncheng County Governor Shi Wenbin has a very good relationship with this Zengtou City, and during the New Year's Festival, the money also received a soft hand, so he naturally gave a reply in every detail. It is the matter of the four states of Jingluofu, Shi Wenbin just received the official letter yesterday, and today Zengtou City sent someone to ask, and Shi Wenbin also sighed in his heart.

After Li Gang and others set up camp outside the city, Pei Xuan took advantage of the fact that it was still dark and took 100 people to Yuncheng, which was to meet the county and hand over the defense and military power.

Shi Wenbin's forbidden army, there are still a few good soldiers, and there are also two powerful heads, one Zhu Tong and one Lei Heng. Now that these two leaders with good means have long died in the Liangshan rebellion, this Yuncheng forbidden army is naturally just an ornament.

Shi Wenbin had just sent the people from Zengtou City away, and Pei Xuan arrived later, where did Shi Wenbin dare to slack off, and welcomed Pei Xuan into the Yamen meeting room to take a seat.

"Shi Zhi County, there is nothing else to do, this document knows the county and looks, if there is no doubt, please stamp the big seal, while the city gate is not closed, I can go out to restore my life." Pei Xuan was a little anxious, that is, he wanted to return to the camp when it was dark. The document was naturally prepared a long time ago, and it was also handed to Shi Wenbin at this time, and the content was just the last military order to the forbidden army outside the city.

Shi Wenbin saw that Pei Xuan didn't even say a polite greeting, so he thought about it more in his heart, took the document, read it for a while, and replied: "Pei Zuoguan will wait a while, and the next official will go to get the big seal." ”

As he spoke, Wen Bin turned around and went to the main office to get the big seal. Pei Xuan is now the official of the left hall under the four states of the Economic Strategy Mansion, from the official rank of the sixth grade, and when Zhao Ji met Zheng Zhi, he asked Zheng Zhi to present the names of the meritorious generals to the reward, Zheng Zhi planned this official for Pei Xuan, and the official was in charge of the official position of managing the document processing in the yamen, and also took charge of some case trials. Each state capital yamen and some of the six yamen under the Tokyo Shangshu Province have set up pushers below, one on the left and one on the left and one on the left, and Zhu Wu is naturally the pusher of the right hall.

Shi Wenbin came back with the big seal, and after handing the document to Pei Xuan, he took out a small bag from his sleeve cage and handed it over, and asked: "There is another abrupt matter, please Pei Zuoguan for a few words, I don't know if Zheng Xianggong is in charge of Yunzhou this time, what is the important errand?" ”

Shi Wenbin asked implicitly, Pei Xuan naturally understood, the new official took office with three fires, that is, he was asking Pei Xuan Zheng Zhi which three fires to burn, so that Shi Wenbin could be prepared, so as not to touch his brows.

Pei Xuan took the document and read it again, and after confirming that the content and seal were correct, he folded it and put it in his arms, but he also used this action to pretend not to see the cloth bag handed by Shi Wenbin. After collecting the paperwork, Pei Xuan replied: "Shizhi County, the prime minister has always been fair as an official, and the ruling party only does two things, one is to rectify the government affairs, and the other is to rectify the armament. With that to say, I will take my leave, and while it is still dark, I must return to the camp as quickly as possible. See you again tomorrow. ”

After speaking, Pei Xuan got up and left. However, Shi Wenbin was embarrassed on the spot, and the cloth bag in his hand was still hanging in the air. But Pei Xuan's words can also be understood, and rectifying armaments is not a matter for Shi Wenbin, after all, the military power has been handed over. However, this rectification of government affairs is somewhat broad, and there are really a myriad of things to do about how to rectify and rectify those aspects.

It was dark, it was the time of the dinner at home, all the main characters in Zengtou City were there, and Zeng got the letter replied by Wenbin from the county, and started to read, and it became more and more difficult to read. After reading it, I circulated it left and right.

After reading it, Zeng Tu said with a black face: "Dad, it turns out that this Sizhou Jingluo Mansion is the yamen of Zheng Xianggong who destroyed Liangshan, so it's not easy to fool." ”

Zeng Mi listened to this, and said with a disgruntled face: "This Zheng Xianggong just wants to ask for more money and food, what is not to fool, the eldest brother thinks too much." ”

Zeng Lane was an understanding person, frowned and said: "This matter is as your eldest brother said, it's not easy to fool, why did those officials outside your Daozhuang pick my Zeng Tou City?" It's that I have a big business in the city, and no one can match Fang Yuan's hundred miles, this time I'm just afraid that it's not a matter of some money and food, you see that young prefect, where do you come here to have a good face, so I'm afraid that my Zeng family will make up for the leakage of the fields over the years, otherwise where do you need to bring so many soldiers? It's a matter of sending a subordinate to take a trip, where does this Li Governor need hundreds of miles to come to Yunzhou in person? ”

After Zeng Lang's words were finished, he was still sighing, but he knew in his heart that Tian Fu for so many years really had to be counted, where was a star and a half. But the Zeng family is afraid that there is not so much cash.

Zeng Tu was in a hurry when he heard this, and hurriedly asked: "Dad, my Zeng family actually has more than 37,000 acres of land, and the annual grain payment is only 13,000 acres. ”

The number of 13,000 mu is the number of fields that were counted by the imperial court about 50 years ago, and it is also the number of national censuses in the second year of Shenzong Xining, when Wang Anshi changed the law. At the beginning, the number of Zeng's field books should not be much different from the actual number of acres. Fifty years later, the Zeng family actually had more than 37,000 acres, which nearly tripled in about 50 years. To have such a speed of expansion, stealing Tianfu is one of the main means.

But there is also a very scary truth, how much land has been expanded in the past 50 years, that is, how many fields have been sold by the residents near Zengtou City. As for the means of land annexation, it is naturally both soft and hard, and there are only a lot of blood and tears.

When Zeng Mi heard this, he said angrily: "He Zheng Xianggong can't force people to death, I can't wait, he still dares to take it by force, how can he control the prefect tomorrow, it is a disobedience, and see if this young prefect can still put me and others in prison to ask if the crime is possible?" ”

Zeng Mi is obviously used to being arrogant on one acre and three points of land in Zengtou City, and his words are all about the attitudes and methods of the rivers and lakes.

Zeng Lang didn't say much, and only said: "Hurry up and go to the treasury to get 200,000 yuan, and send it to the outside of the village tonight." ”

At this time, Zeng made only the first so, if the prefect outside the village took the money, it would be a blessing. If the prefect doesn't collect money, it's going to be a big problem. Originally, I was going to give 350,000 yuan to express it, which was also a lot of money, but at this time, it was already 200,000 yuan.

The Zeng family is such a big landlord, a big family. It is really richer than the county government and the government office, just because this Zengtou City, where 30,000 or 40,000 people live, whether it is fields or street shops, most of them are the property of the Zeng family, and most of the rest of the people in Zengtou City are just attached to the Zeng family to make a living.

In fact, there is another place that is probably the same, that is, Dulonggang, Zhu Hu and Li Sanjia, which are similar to the Zeng family. However, there is a difference in Dulonggang, that is, Dulonggang was originally a place outside the jurisdiction, and the three families led the clansmen to open up the wasteland and gain power, so they lacked many of the dark means of expansion.